A Tale of Two Shopping Experiences

It’s a scary time to be a retailer. Every day, new reports surface about another round of store closures. Or how the indoor shopping mall—once the epicenter of suburban society and early morning walks—has fallen out of favor. So how does today’s retailer stay relevant?

The secret is really no secret. You have to understand and connect with your consumers in ways that are relevant to their intentions. If your customer wants a high-touch sales interaction, you need to give them a high-touch sales interaction. If they prefer to be left alone to browse, you need to leave them alone. And, if they want four pairs of slacks in plaid, you better have four pairs of plaid slacks. And in their size. In short, you need to anticipate their needs and deliver in real time.

But, because clairvoyance tends to be in short supply, how do you read a shopper’s mind and fulfill their every wish?

Connected Mobile Experiences.

Okay. Disclaimer. Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (or CMX) won’t make you clairvoyant. But it can help you better understand your shoppers and provide them with a more rewarding experience that will increase their loyalty and your revenues.

To help illustrate how CMX can transform the retail experience, we created a simple informational graphic that contrasts two shopping journeys—one at a store with CMX and one at a store without.

In the first retail journey, Mia, our fictional shopper, starts her shopping online, by researching a purchase. Her journey then transitions to the store. Through the entire experience, CMX is able to connect her intent, her actions, and her needs with relevant content. The store’s applications—powered by CMX—provide key information exactly when Mia is ready to make a decision. And, through integration with employee applications, CMX can help inform sales associates so they can anticipate and meet Mia’s needs.

Then the informational graphic contrasts Mia’s first journey with one not informed by CMX. We show how the store without CMX misses opportunities to understand and serve Mia, and leaves her with a bad experience. Worse, the lack of personal engagement causes her to question her desire to do business with the store in the future, losing her loyalty and future revenues

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